O/T - Red Sox - Dodgers Trade

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by wolf441

And you have to like the Dodgers chances in the NL West now with A-Gone replacing Loney and with the Giants losing Melky for the remainder of the season. As a Sox fan, I was hoping they would eat Lackey's contract as well! We'd even through in Dice-K

No thanks, you can keep Dice-k

[oldjudge]

If this trade goes through the Dodgers will have one impressive batting order: Kemp, Ethier, Ramirez, Gonzalez, Crawford (next year). These guys all have lots of years ahead of them. The Dodgers could have a potent lineup for a long time. If the change of scenery revitalizes Beckett that would be a real benefit. Then they would have three great starting pitchers to complement all that hitting. At least on paper, they would be one of the top few teams in baseball.

[packs]

Trade complete. The trades this year have been awesome. Ichiro to the Yankees. Hanley to the Dodgers. Now this trade too.

People keep trying to push the great deal the Red Sox got but I'm not seeing it. Loney stinks, De La Rosa just had Tommy John, Sands is a AAAA slugger and Allen Webster hasn't pitched above AA.

Guess the argument is that the Red Sox drop the salary but they're still going to be paying a ton and are supposed to be a "big market" team.

I wish the Dodgers would send Beckett to AAA.

[barrysloate]

Red Sox dropped a quarter of a billion dollars of salary. Considering they were going nowhere, management has to be happy about that.

[bbcarddan]

Speaking as a Sox fan I am all for this trade I still can`t believe the Dodgers are going for it just shows how much they want Gonzalez! To me both Gonzalez and Crawford never lived up to the hype granted Crawford was oft injured but they could all have success in L.A. even Beckett. If they all do tear it up playing for the Dodgers it will only show just how dysfunctional the Red Sox really are! When the Sox traded Youkilis he found new life and was named player of the week his first week since leaving Boston! Even if all the prospects Boston gets don`t pan out I am still all for this trade.

Hey L.A. we still got John Lackey and Dice-K? We can even throw in a translator for Dice-K, Bobby Valentine! All we want are a couple of used fungo bats! Deal?!?!

[mckinneyj]

> If this trade goes through the Dodgers will have one impressive batting order: Kemp, Ethier, Ramirez, Gonzalez, Crawford (next year).

Same was said about the thought of having Gonzalez and Crawford in the Sox lineup - how'd that work out? Gonzalez had little impact after last year's AS game. He was a rally killing hole in the middle of the Sox lineup since then. Yeah, he got RBIs that showed up in the yearly stats - but he was totally MIA during any clutch situation. I know that it's been said the he had lots of late inning RBis - how many meant anything? Especially last year when the two hitting in front of him (Ellebury and Pedroia) had .400 OBPs and were top 5 (I think) in the MVP balloting - how he could he help but pile on the RBIs. Every time he came up it seemed there was a runner in scoring postition. But he never did it against the better teams. He had very little positive impact at the plate - always seemed to loaf running the bases (yeah he's slow anyway, but his loafing often saved infielders or outfielder on the other teams errors was he jogged around the bases. It killed me to watch that. And, I have no idea whatever happened to his batting eye - at one point he went more than a month without a walk this year - how can a middle of the lineup guy not walk? This year they often intentionally walked the hitter in front of him (this even after he was dropped to 6th in the lineup and that someone was Cody Ross or Will Middlebrooks) just to get to him... this Sox fan is happy to see him go. I hope he performs well for the Dodgers. But I wouldn't count on it. Watch his games, not his stats (sorta like "buy the card, not the holder"?). Same for the other 2 - big names, little impact. Beckett has lost a few MPH off the fastball and can no longer get away with mistakes - maybe in a league without a DH he'll survive a few more of those mistakes. Even with a change of scenery and an attitude adjustment it might not work for him - I wish him well but I think his days of being a dominant pitcher are behind him. Crawford - he seems to be burdened by his contract. It's heavy - too much it seems - he's weighed down - indecisive at the plate on the bases, and in the field - hard to believe that he won gold gloves (he's been atrocious in the field - at least when he gets on the field - too much money for a guy who can't get on the field... he seems to try hard, always hustles, wants to win - but it just wasn't working for him. The Sox have been abysmal since last September and these 3 are a big part of the core that was supposed to lead them. And where have they lead them? The Dodgers are getting 3 big names - but, based upon recent performance, thats all they are, names - names of guys that were once stars. I have my doubts about whether they can ever reach that level again. I don't think that they ever would in Boston... good luck to them in LA.

I'd have let the 3 go for a box of balls, all of that money tied up with little production for it was killing them... this looks like an NBA trade (at least from the Sox perspective). It's all about the money. You have to take my bad contracts to get the player (Gonazalez) you want (and I suspect that the Sox were actually tired of Gonzalez act anyway). Now the Sox are no longer prisoner of the salary cap - we'll see how they do in developing and acquiring talent (and attitude) over the next couple of years.

[Deertick]

As a Rays fan, I LOVE this trade! Between the Sox being the most dysfunctional franchise in MLB, and the Yanks getting old fast (with nothing down on the farm), the Rays should be at the top for years to come.

[chaddurbin]

Originally Posted by Deertick

As a Rays fan, I LOVE this trade! Between the Sox being the most dysfunctional franchise in MLB, and the Yanks getting old fast (with nothing down on the farm), the Rays should be at the top for years to come.

why? if you're a rays fan, wouldn't you want an underperforming crawford with an albatross contract and clubhouse cancer beckett to stay with the sox? now they get younger and have money to retool. that was probably the thinking when toronto claimed de la rosa when the dodgers tried to pass him through waiver (so now he was sent down to the minor and will be PTBNL)

[yanks12025]

Originally Posted by Deertick

As a Rays fan, I LOVE this trade! Between the Sox being the most dysfunctional franchise in MLB, and the Yanks getting old fast (with nothing down on the farm), the Rays should be at the top for years to come.

Keep dreaming Jim

[howard38]

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[Robextend]

Gonzalez 3 run HR in the 1st inning!